New WiWaldI project blog post

Small creatures with a big impact:
The effects of ungulate browsing on insect food webs in forest ecosystems

Insects are crucial for the stability and adaptability of forest ecosystems. The consequences of climate and land use changes, or the effects of large ungulate populations, can alter insect habitats and food plants. This might affect species diversity in forests and the natural regulation of phytophagous insects relevant for forest protection by potentially beneficial insects.

In the "Wildeinflussmonitoring und Insektennahrungsnetze" subproject of the WiWaldI (Wild – Wald – Innovation) joint project, the Chair of Forest Protection at TU Dresden is investigating the effects of ungulate browsing on vegetation development and the cascading consequences for insect habitats and food webs. A recent WiWaldI blog post by Linda Kunz explains the interactions between insect food webs and ungulate browsing in forest ecosystems and presents research approaches for the subproject. The full blog article can be accessed following this link: https://www.wild-wald-innovation.de/neues-presse/wiwaldi-blog/insektennahrungsnetze/